CHAPTER 142: CHAPTER 141: NEW LIFEFORM (2)

Evolution.

In a general sense, the word ’evolution’ often brought something positive to the planet.

At times, it brought strange yet desirable traits for survival.

Whether it was plants, mammals, insects, or reptiles, everyone got their time to shine. History repeated itself, and the modern evolution was no different.

The oxygen-rich environment favored creatures over plants. As the creatures got bigger, their oxygen consumption also increased. This, in turn, increased the carbon dioxide in the environment.

Plants latched onto it and grew bigger, compensating for the oxygen consumed by the creatures. This circle was mutually beneficial for both the plants and the animals.

It was a delicate balance.

However, not everyone or everything receives equal treatment by nature. Some are favored, some are discarded.

As plants grew, the nutrients in the soil got depleted quickly. Not everything could survive such overgrowth.

These dead plants were broken down by evolved bacteria and turned the place into marshlands.

That’s when evolution flipped sides.

A few among the discarded die willingly, the rest fight on.

If the plants couldn’t get nutrients from the ground, they’d get them from elsewhere. New plants rose from the swampy land that was once their graveyard.

It had happened before, around fifty million years ago.

When plants first began hunting other creatures.

However, the plants now were much worse than those the planet had seen before.

They didn’t hunt just insects.

They hunted anything that set foot in their graveyard.

***

"It seems we lost them!" A woman panted.

Two men flanked her, looking over their shoulders as they rested. Their camp was attacked by mutated dogs. While everyone decided to fight them, the three of them escaped.

They knew they had no chance against a merged pack of twenty-seven dogs. As they left, a dog caught their scent and chased them with two others.

The three people ran like hell, lost their way in the thick grass, and somehow ended up at this marshy place.

"We did," a man jumped in. "Although we ended up at this weird place..."

Surprisingly, the place didn’t smell of rot, but of different kinds decay. However, it was equally unpleasant.

"Where are we, though?"

"Let me look around," the girl replied.

A moment later, her eyes glowed golden and, like a scanner, she looked through the surrounding plants. Honestly, the place looked like a swamp. Strange twisted trees were around them, emerging from the gooey ground.

Below the trees and vines was soft soil, covered in fungi and mosses, giving it the illusion of solid ground. Thanks to the girl’s vision, she knew where the actual ground was and jumped to it.

"The smell is strange, but this wetness grosses me out even more," she said, stepping a foot onto the bubbly soil.

She continued, "Ugh... it feels like I’ll be sucked in if I put all my weight on it. Only jump to where I’m standing if you don’t want that to happen."

"Got it."

"Wait... It’s better to turn around, right? I don’t think the dogs are chasing us anymore—"

"Are you blind? They are standing right there!" the other guy said. "Wait, why aren’t they getting closer?"

"That’s what I’m saying—"

"You can return if you like," the girl interrupted them. "I’ll move ahead. Besides, it’s just trees here. That swampy land provides the best defense against mutants and undead, as they won’t know where to step."

"Jacob, don’t be a sissy now," the other guy said. "The trees won’t harm us and, like Freya said, the land will protect us. We can establish a new camp here."

Still hesitant, Jacob looked over his shoulder. The dogs that had been chasing them moments ago now stood far away, refusing to come closer.

The fact that they just stood there wasn’t scary to him. He was more worried because they weren’t chasing them anymore, despite being in the line of sight.

It almost felt like those beasts knew something they didn’t. Something that was hiding inside the swampy region.

Yet, he didn’t have a choice. He wasn’t strong enough to take on the mutants, nor was he confident that he would survive without Freya and Rudolf.

In the end, he had to bury his fears and doubts and follow them.

The dogs stood there, watching them disappear among the dense trees.

***

Some time later...

"This place sucks!" Freya exclaimed. "There’s not a single stick here to light a fire, let alone set a camp."

"Maybe... Jacob was right," Rudolf commented. "I think we should go back and see if the dogs are still waiting for us. If not, we could take shelter in one of the broken buildings."

Jacob didn’t say a word.

He hadn’t said anything for a while now. The others chalked it up to him being scared or upset, but it had been a while, and his silence was irking them now.

"Oh, come on! It wasn’t that big of a deal—"

Rudolf turned around, only to realize Jacob wasn’t behind them.

"Jacob!" he shouted. "JACOB—!"

Suddenly, Freya pressed her hand onto Rudolf’s mouth. He was taken aback, but noticed her pressing a finger against her lips before pointing behind, up in the trees.

Rudolf followed her finger, and his eyes widened.

Jacob was dangling upside down from a tree.

"What the..." he mumbled, taking a step back.

Jacob was there, but had been turned into a husk. It felt like something had sucked him dry. All his blood, muscles, and everything had been sucked by the vines around him.

"We have to get away," Freya whispered, thinking the vines could hear them.

Rudolf nodded.

As sad as it was to see Jacob meet his end, he didn’t want to join him.

Freya scanned the nearest solid ground and was about to jump, but couldn’t. She tried again, thinking Jacob’s death had something to do with the legs not working.

Yet, the result remained unchanged. It felt like something had nailed their feet to the ground.

"What is going on here—?"

She looked down and saw thin vines wrapped around their legs. Not just that, but the vines were climbing their legs!

Rudolf noticed it and immediately squatted down to rip them off.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"

He cursed, but the more he tried, the tighter the vines got.

"The axe! Freya, give me the axe!"

Rudolf yelled and turned around, only to see her hanging upside down, just like Jacob. Thick vines pushed their way into her mouth. Her eyes widened as she tried to scream before going limp.

She was dead.

"No... No! NO!"

Rudolf screamed, frantically trying to pull the vines, but then a thicker vine wrapped around him, lifting him in the air. He tried to fight back in vain, as he too became a husk within seconds.